Mike Rush beats Brad Williams in State Senate race

After a somewhat close primary where he lost the district’s suburbs, state Rep. Mike Rush handily won the general election for the Senate seat, besting Brad Williams by a margin of 2 to 1. With all precincts reporting, he received a total of 36,867 votes to Williams’ 17,593 in the district, which includes West ...

By Edward B. Colby and Dan Atkinson/Wicked Local

Wicked Local

By Edward B. Colby and Dan Atkinson/Wicked Local

Posted Nov. 3, 2010 at 12:01 AM
Updated Nov 3, 2010 at 3:04 AM

By Edward B. Colby and Dan Atkinson/Wicked Local

Posted Nov. 3, 2010 at 12:01 AM
Updated Nov 3, 2010 at 3:04 AM

WEST ROXBURY and DEDHAM

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Brad Williams said he told voters something “over and over again” on Election Day.

“I’m here to safeguard your wallet, I’m here to protect your money, I’m here to steward it along. And apparently that message isn’t quite ready yet,” the Republican told two dozen supporters at Sagra Ristorante, shortly after conceding the election for the Suffolk and Norfolk Senate seat to Democrat Mike Rush. “It looks like Massachusetts as a whole, that message didn’t quite ring through yet.”

An election that held promise for Williams and other Republicans in this swath of the state turned out in disappointing fashion Tuesday, Nov. 2 – as it did for Charlie Baker, the GOP’s would-be governor, who ultimately lost by a sizable margin to the incumbent Democrat, Deval Patrick.

“From the top down, I think, the choice was very clear between businesspeople and people who haven’t been in politics, and more of the same with a lot of elected officials who have already been there,” Williams said. “And apparently the people want what we’re getting. But that’s not what we hear. That’s not what we hear, is it?” “No,” the crowd responded.

After a somewhat close primary where he lost the district’s suburbs, state Rep. Rush handily won the general election for the Senate seat, besting Williams by a margin of 2 to 1. With all precincts reporting, he received a total of 36,867 votes to Williams’ 17,593 in the district, which includes West Roxbury – where they both live – as well as Hyde Park, Roslindale, and three Norfolk County suburbs, including Dedham.

“Hey, guess what? We won,” Rush, 36, told supporters at his victory party at the Corrib Pub in West Roxbury.

After serving four terms in the House, Rush now moves up to the Senate, into the seat held for the last 18 years by Democrat Marian Walsh, who is retiring.

As expected, Rush easily beat Williams, 39, in Boston by a ratio of nearly 4 to 1. But Williams said he was “most disappointed with Dedham and Norwood.” Rush took 59 percent of the vote in Dedham – with 5,614 votes to Williams’ 3,858 – and won by nearly as much in Norwood, where received 5,911 votes to 4,397 for Williams.

“We thought the other statewide candidates would do well out here, and they didn’t, so here it is what it is. I was most surprised by Dedham and Norwood, because somebody like me, I need to do well there,” Williams said in an interview. “But most people don’t win on their first try – and I don’t know what I’m going to do next.”

The first-time candidate did prevail in Westwood, getting 3,384 votes there, to 3,176 for Rush.

In September, Rush lost the three towns to challenger Michael Walsh. On Tuesday, he credited his turnaround to his campaign workers and volunteers redoubling their efforts in the suburbs.

Page 2 of 3 - “We worked very, very hard in the entire district since the primary,” Rush said in an interview. “After the primary, we looked to see if there were gaps in support and to fill them.”

Rush promised supporters at the Corrib that he would bring the enthusiasm and energy he had as a state representative to the larger district.

“I will make one pledge, I’ll work tirelessly on your behalf to represent these communities,” he said.

In the interview, Rush said his top priority as a state senator would be job creation, and working with the Senate and former colleagues in the House to increase employment and improve the economy.

“What it comes down to is how important the economy is,” Rush said. “A rising tide lifts all boats.”

But as he told supporters, his new job will have to wait a day.

“I’m ready to start working – well, maybe not tomorrow, but Thursday,” he said to laughter.

The mood was definitely low-key at Williams’ gathering at Sagra, as people glanced at a television on the wall and ate and drank as state and national results came in. The crowd included Joe Kennedy of Dedham, the Libertarian who ran in January’s special U.S. Senate election won by Scott Brown.

“Brad’s calling Mike rush to concede the race,” an aide announced at 9:40 p.m. Just before 10, Williams walked in to applause.

“This, as I said, has only been about the taxpayers and the voters – getting a better deal for all of us along the way,” he said, emphasizing his three main campaign themes, which included “bringing our state spending under control,” and creating a better job environment and “making it a more livable state overall.”

Finally, he noted, “three of our state senators right now are still in jail,” drawing some snickers from the crowd. “And I’ve been demanding and saying we need higher ethics on Beacon Hill. And it goes back to the idea that our elected officials should be fiduciaries – they should represent every single one of us.”

Near the end of his nine-minute speech he started clapping for his supporters, and then everyone clapped. “Thank you, Brad!” one man called out. “We need hope.”

“Well, we’re trying not to just sell hope,” he replied. “Hope and change.”

His mother, Patricia Williams, said she was “very proud of him.” She and her husband, Garet, live in western New York near Buffalo, but made it to “quite a few of the major events” of the campaign.

“We’ve been with him, and of course are disappointed,” she said, adding that her son is a good person. “I’m disappointed because I was hoping that other people would see that and fill in the oval for him.”

Page 3 of 3 - West Roxbury Transcript editor Dan Atkinson reported from Rush’s party in West Roxbury. Dedham Transcript staff writer Edward B. Colby can be reached at 781-433-8336 or ecolby@cnc.com.